Food in Boston

Last night’s Slow Food Boston event presented an interesting contrast. On the one hand, we heard from Lilach Dekel about her current project, the film Food for Thought, and saw a few clips. Lilach, her husband Rod Bachar, and their young daughter set out from Brooklyn a few years back to see for themselves where their food came from. They came away with some vivid footage of the impact our food systems have on the producers of our food, the people who live near food production sites, and the quality of the food that ends up on our plates.

I’ve read Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma and spent time with a few growers here and in the Midwest, but the clips we saw last night provided a whole ‘nuther set of impressions. Knowing intellectually that Big Agribusiness creates a host of problems is one thing, but seeing is another. Particularly striking were the view of confined feedlots from the air, or the pain of a mother who doesn’t believe her children can stay in their hometown due to feedlot pollution. Lilach also spoke about the threat of bankruptcy faced by the small, CSA-supported farm they visited early in the filming; I’m sure that segment will have a similar impact.

Lilach and Rod are currently fund-raising so that they can complete the editing of this film. From what I saw last night, I’m hopeful that they’ll be able to do so soon. There are a number of ways to support their efforts.

Having duly considered the plight of the small farmer and horrors of big agribusiness, we proceeded to enjoy some great eats. Lionette’s Market brought a great spread of cheeses and pâtés, and the guys from Nantucket Wild Gourmet brought a huge plate of their smoked salmon. Checking their website today, I see that said salmon goes for an unbelievable 72 US dollars per pound. And therein lies the conflict that I perceived: what sense to make of a world where, on the one hand, we destroy the environment and people’s lives so that milk can be cheaper than dirt, but on the other hand, a tasty bit of smoked salmon is priced out of reach of any but the elite?

Marco from Nantucket Wild Gourmet talked a bit about their company’s practices. First, the fish is all wild-caught Alaskan salmon, which gets top grade from the widely praised Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program. The fish are caught by line, which is the best practice in avoiding impact on other, unwanted marine life; but it’s also pricier. Once the fish has made it over to these parts, the costs continue to mount. Various rules and regulations resulted in their new smokehouse being comparable to an operating room in terms of sanitation. In addition, all processing of the fish, from cleaning to de-boning, is performed by hand. $72 for a pound of (fairly and sustainably produced, not to mention delicious) smoked fish is still pretty mind-blowing, but given what it takes to get that fish to your plate, it may be worth it. Not something I’m going to be eating regularly, but I could imagine buying a few ounces for special occasions.
Alex, one of the organizers of the event, mentioned that this contrast between perceived justice for consumers (cheap food, so everyone can afford it) and for producers (who need to get paid enough to make a living) is the most common question he’s heard in his three years with Slow Food. What’s the point of putting all this effort into building good food systems if the results are unaffordable to a large segment of society? On the other hand, how can we have good food systems if the people providing the food can’t make a living, or if the production of the food depends on unsustainable practices that harm neighbors and future generations?

The truth seems to be that Americans have come to expect unreasonably low prices for food, because most of us haven’t been paying the true cost — due in part to subsidies, exploitative labor practices, and a failure to account for environmental damages. Having what many of us would consider a fair, clean, and good food system will entail higher costs for food, which in turn requires living wages so that everyone can afford to buy food. Not an easy answer, but I suspect it’s the truth.
Thanks to the Globe’s Joe Yonan for publicising this event - it was an evening well spent.